plan to survive

Saturday night I was going in to work. I work at night. Before I left for work I pulled my road bike in the house & prepared it for my ride to church in the morning. I had to get my bike prepped before I left for work because by the time I get home at 6:15 am I only have 15 minutes to get on the road . If I get on the road any later than 6:30 am I'd be late to church.

Sunday morning as soon as I got home I threw on my cold weather riding gear, filled up the tires with air & went on my way. The temp at the start of my ride was 20 degrees. I had on my Gore-Tex cycling gloves, which unfortunately does not keep my hands warm in temps under 30 degrees like they claimed. So I put a thick pair of wool socks on top of the gloves. My hands were still very cold on the ride. But hey, if I don't mind it don't matter.

On my feet I had on a pair of socks, a grocery bag on top of the socks, my cycling shoes, another grocery bag, & lastly a pair of cold weather booties (my cold weather boots were to small so I returned them to Performance bike). My feet felt great the first 2 hrs of the ride, but since the grocery bags don't allow the sweat from my feet to escape, after 2 hrs my socks were soaked which made for feet that felt like blocks of ice. Made for a miserable last 1hr 20 minutes.

As I had said, I pumped up my tires in doors & my bike had been indoors all night. This created a problem. The temps in my house was just shy of 70 degrees, the temp outside was 20 degrees. Its common knowledge that air expands when it warms, & the opposite happens when the air gets cold. When the air in my tires went from the 70 degree temps & 120 psi, to the 20 degree temps outside the air pressure gradually decreased. It decreased a lot! So much so that the rolling resistance went up dramatically! Within an hour of riding I was struggling to keep up a speed of 11 miles per hour on the flats where I'd normally keep up over a 16 mph speed rather easily.

The other part of the ride that I struggled with was staying hydrated. My water bottles froze. Kind of hard to drink Gatorade when it is in the solid form. I know, sounds horrible. & although my decreased speeds & thirst were frustrating, I had a blast! This ride was very uncomfortable, perhaps even dangerous. But not my worst days training condition by far. My most uncomfortable day of training was 2 years ago when I went for a 45 minute run in 4 degree temps with the wind-chill it was negative 11 degrees. When I got back from my run my stomach & the top of my head were a purple-blue & completely numb to the touch. I was in beginning stages of frost bite.

Why train in such harsh conditions? Simply put I want to live. I have the will to survive. The will to fight through situations others wouldn't even think of being in. The drive to not give up when most people would curl up into a ball & hope for mercy is not accidental. It is a mindset. The will to fight is not something people are born with. It's something that has to be harvested. It takes conscious mental training. After 13.5 years of working at the penitentiary I have learned what it takes to live. It takes mindset to survive no matter what the conditions are.

There was a case in California where a teenage kid was shot in the bicep by the cops. It was just a grazing shot. Not at all life threatening. The police told the kid out of spite, knowing it to be untrue, "I don't think your going to make it kid." The teenager died right there. The kid wasn't mentally prepared to fight for life. He heard something he wasn't expecting. He gave up.

There's been numerous times where I've seen inmates stabbed. But they rarely die. I've seen first hand where inmates were stabbed 20-30 times, & they lived. One time in particular an inmate was stabbed over 45 times with a rusted nail in the the face, eyes, neck, & chest. In less than a week he was out of the hospital & back in his cell. Why can they live getting stabbed numerous times, but an average Joe on the streets dies from one or 2 minor stab wounds? Mindset, inmates expect it to happen & are mentally prepared to fight & survive. Most people hope bad things don't happen. When something traumatic happens they go into shock. Shock is more than a physical condition. It has to do with a persons mindset. Along with the physical trauma, shock is determined also by how prepared you are mentally when your put into a position to fight or give up.

How often do you hear of a person curling up in a ball when they start getting beat up. Why did they curl into a ball, stop fighting & hope their attackers compassion saves them? Mindset. They should know they're going to take punishment once they go down to the ground. The attacker will start kicking & stomping them, regardless of whether they curl into a ball or if they roll onto their back & try to kick the aggressors knee caps through the back of their legs. So why roll into a submissive position & give up all hope? Mindset.

Giving up is more than just becoming submissive. Giving up effects the body in ways the average guy could never know. Why does one person fight through & beat a cancer that Dr.'s gave a slim chance of beating & a person who is healthy dies shortly after their spouse passes away? Mindset. You are either prepared to survive or willing to die. There's no in-between.

I have learned to constantly imagine myself in certain situations & think how I will respond. If an inmate jumps me & I'm suddenly in a fight for my life that I was not expecting to be in what will I do? I constantly go through that situation in my head. What will I do if he has a knife? If I get stabbed? If someone comes after me in front of my family on the streets? What will I do? I mentally train myself to fight with every ounce of strength I have in me until I win. No other option. Until I win. There's no surrender or submission. There's no shock, only attack back. Fight! I will use my fear, my strength, aggression, my love, or my anger at being in that situation. I'll strike with my fists, swing my radio like a ball & chain, I'll stab with my pen, gouge eyes, break knees, crush wind pipes, what ever it takes to come out that situation the victor. I train myself mentally to be prepared to win by ANY MEANS. & I've prepared myself to keep fighting no matter what kind of damage I sustain. I'll make them realize they are no longer the hunter. That person WILL think to themselves & very quickly, "oh crap, what have I gotten myself into. I don't think this was a good idea." I train myself to continue the fight for life even after the conflict is over. The fight for life doesn't end with the conflict. The fight continues all the way until I'm completely healed from whatever damage I sustained.

I never allow myself to think, "I'll react this way- but I hope it never happens." I have learned to expect it WILL happen. & when it does I will respond with overwhelming force & determination. & there's no situation I haven't already thought of & put myself through in my head over & over again

Before I married my wife I took freezing cold showers before work to put myself in an uncomfortable situation. To start a certain mindset. Daily I cultivated a mental toughness & will power to over come & expect uncomfortable situations. Now, I take warn showers, just in case your wondering.

A few years ago I went to go on a bike ride & it ended up getting very cold very unexpectedly. It was a miserable ride. I got home & sat in the bath tub filled with warm water trying to stop shaking & attempting to regain the feeling in my hands & feet. It hit me then that I could use triathlon training as a tool to build even more of my will to fight & survive. The will to fight through situations where most people wouldn't even have attempted. Winter is the best time to combine triathlon & building mental toughness. From here on out as long as the roads are dry, I will continue to ride the 40 miles one way to church on my bike this winter. But from now on I will remember to leave my bike outside in the shed & in the cold. I'll also pump up the tires outdoors in the cold. I'm training my mind to be tough yes, but not at the expense of speed!

Thanks for tuning in. I'm out.

USAT Rankings & a lesson learned

I was checking out my USAT rankings. My first year getting ranked was 2006. I've made huge gains in my racing, yet my USAT ranking has increased very little. Apparently every other triathlete & duathlete in the USA has gotten faster too.

2006 triathlon 67.95
2007 triathlon 65.23

2006 duathlon 65.75
2007 duathlon 68.21

Up until a couple months ago I was doing a moderate amount of weight lifting, a ton of push ups, pull ups, & core work along with my triathlon training. I was losing weight consistently as long as I wasn't struggling with a period of emotional eating. A couple months ago I decided I was going to try an experiment. I was going to stop all weights & strength training in hopes that I could continue losing fat, plus drop a few pounds of muscle. My hope was, like it is for all endurance athletes, to be as light as possible.I learned I needed some strength training to keep my metabolism high. The bad news is my weight loss slowed the first month of the experiment to no loss & a ton of struggle this month.

I went back to the weight room this morning. It felt great! I kept both the weight & sets low. I also stayed away from muscle failure. I'm pretty sure going back to the weights will speed up my metabolism. The only question is how long until my metabolism starts picking up again. I've been stuck here at 204 for quite awhile now.

Looking back at the last paragraph I feel the need to explain the way I feel about being stuck at 200. I'm actually elated. I never thought I'd be back down to the low 200's again. Even if I never lost another pound I'd be content. I love competing as a Clydesdale. With only a few exceptions Clydesdale's compete in triathlon because they absolutely love the sport. The majority of Clydes will never finish in the front of the pack. They race because they love the sport. Not because they are breaking records. That being said I also know I'm capable of getting to 190. I was there in May using swimming, biking, running, diet, & a moderate amount of strength training. The only thing that has changed between then & now is I had stopped strength training. Lesson learned. I'm hoping in the next month or so the moderate weight lifting will start to speed my metabolism again & I'll get to somewhere around 180-190 pounds. I will keep trying. But if after a long period of time I see my body is simply fighting going any lower than 200 I'll change my focus to maintaining my weight. Flexibility has never been a strong point of mine. I have a tendency to become obsessed with a goal & darn near kill myself attaining it. Hopefully this
time I will be able to watch, analyze my situation, & make the right decision.
I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for tuning in.

the perfect post workout recovery drink

Heard on the news chocolate milk makes for the best post workout recovery drink. I thought I'd serf the web to see what others believe. It seems unanimous that chocolate milk is the bomb!Sounds good, i think I'll try it. As I experiment I'll let you guys know how it's working for me.



http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness/34c_fitness_list.html



http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-workout/



http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness/34c_fitness_list.htm



There are many more articles supporting chocolate milk, but I think I get the point.

Tips on time management

Triathlon is more than a hobby to me. It is my one true selfish passion. Anyone who has trained for a triathlon of any distance knows what a challenge training efficiently, yet effectively can be. Triathlon takes up more than it’s fair share of that precious commodity called “time”. For me, the most challenging aspect of this sport is finding the time to train with my busy schedule. I’m relatively new to triathlon, but have been fortunate enough to have some great mentors and teachers who have taught me many great things. Everything from training techniques to diet, but the most important was time management skills. I would like to take this time to share some of the best time management techniques that I have learned.

1. The most affective of these being indoor training. From treadmills to stationary bikes. Properly integrated into your training program these workouts can actually provide more effective training overall. Don’t get me wrong; if at all possible the majority of your training should be outdoors. But mixing in some indoor training can help you manage your time better and make your training more efficient. Indoor training allows us to control our conditions such as bad weather or the dark. Indoor training can also increase the amount of time spent with your family. My first year of training for triathlons, I was convinced that training and spending time with family were conflicting goals. It doesn’t have to be. Plus I’d like to think that spending so much time working out in front of my daughter is setting a good example and perhaps helping her build life long healthy habits.

2. Training at lunch time. Most people have 45 minutes to an hour available at lunch. This can be a great asset. If you workout at lunch a person can usually complete 20-25% of their weekly training volume. Since it’s still early your energy is usually still high. This can also be a good stress reducer.

3. Early morning workouts. This can be one of the hardest of my time management tips to adhere to. For me, on the mornings I procrastinate and plan on doing my workout in the evening, something goes wrong. I have company stop by, work calls and needs me to come in, or some such unforeseeable calamity arises. The most certain way to make sure it gets done is to do it early. I have to be at work at 5:45 in the morning. But I am still out there running sometimes as early as 3am. So you 8-4 people cannot complain to loudly. This is especially true for the weekends, when most people do their long days. The best strategy is to get it done early so you are clear for anything that may come up. It is also nice for your family. If they know by mid to late morning you’ll be done and they can have your attention the rest of the day they’ll be much more supportive. The longer you wait the less likely it is to get done!

4. Set up your clothes and equipment the night before. You will be more efficient in the morning and won’t waste time looking for the things you will need. If your obsessive like I am, make a list with 4 categories: swim, bike, run, and weights. Under each have the equipment you’ll need for each event you’re scheduled for that next morning. Once my daughter was born it was more of a challenge to get things in order and organized to be able to workout than it was to actually workout.

5. Schedule training sessions and races in a day planner. Write your workouts into your planner ahead of time. By doing this you’ll always allow for sufficient time for workouts. I even like to post my training and events on the refrigerator so that my family knows what to expect for that week.

6. Make multiple copies of your training plan. I make 4 copies of mine. I put one on the refrigerator, one in my gym bag, one in my vehicle, and one in my wife’s vehicle. That way no matter where I’m at I won’t be stuck trying to remember what I’m scheduled for on any given day.

7. Put your swim workouts in a 1-gallon clear zip lock bag. That way you can refer to your workout while swimming without having to worry about the paper becoming ineligible.

8. Share goals and desires with your family and loved ones. I talked to my family many months in advance before taking on an “Iron Distance” goal. This helps them be prepared for the many hours of training that will come to fruition. Also if you word it correctly they will feel involved and they will feel this is something they are helping you achieve. Make sure to tell them before and after the race that you could not have done this without them. That way they’ll feel a part of what you have accomplished.

9. Sharing parenting responsibilities and household chores, I am home with my daughter Mon.- Wed. And if for some reason I’m unable to do my workout before my wife gets home from work I make sure the house and yard is clean when she gets home. That way when I leave for my workout she doesn’t feel like I’m dumping the housework on her and avoiding my responsibilities to the family. Plus when there is no work to do when she gets home she usually enjoys some special time with our daughter while I train. Hey, if your significant other reads this they might push you to start training in hopes of you getting the housework done!

10. Involve your children. There are many companies that make 1,2, and 3 children strollers that you can push while running or pull behind your bike. They are made very safe and reliable now. You can also take your children to the track with you. They can play in the long jump pit, bring some toys to play with in the grass located in the middle of the track. Once they get a little older they can even do a little track running too. Make a game of it. When going to the pool take one of your children’s friends along to keep them company.

11. Combine races with vacations. Oh Ya! This one I learned early on! If there’s a race that is to far away to justify going to, do a little investigating before you bring it up. Find some events, activities, or sights that will interest your significant other and the children. That’s right, the old hook line and sinker.

12. Commute on your bike. You'll be creating a good base fitness, getting some of your bike training done while saving $ on gas, oil changes, and vehicle maintnance!

The next three aren’t as much time management tools. But they will help balance triathlon and family.

1. Controlling your moods. I have to make a definite effort at this. I can, at times feel a little worn down and a little grumpy after hard sessions or long days. My family has helped eminsly in this category. Tell them why it may happen on occasion. When my loved ones know in advance what is coming, they are much more understanding.

2.Eat nutrient dense foods and get plenty of sleep. This will help you from getting to grumpy, poor diet can lead to poor results from your training & can also cause overtraining syndrone. Sometimes my wife knows before I do when I’m overtrainning. She has gotten good at recognizing changes in attitude, and she is not afraid of letting me know:)

3. Stay flexible mentally. This is the hardest one for me. I’m trying to learn to be flexible when things don’t workout. As I’ve said before I’m a little obsessive compulsive. When something pops up that interferes with a workout I’m learning (ongoing!) to tell others and myself that it’s ok. In the long run this one workout doesn’t matter. I hope these tips help. And I promise that these, just like all skills, when practiced become easier with experience. God bless and happy training